My question for everybody is what was the Battle of Rourken-Shalidor. All I know of it is that the shield SpellBreaker was instrumental in it, but nothing else. Opinions are most welcome, since I think there are very little facts to go around about this battle. Obviously, Rourken refers to the clan of dwemer that would later emigrate from Vvardenfell and travel to Stros M'kai. The only reference that I have for Shalidor is Shalidor's Mirror which is a reflect spell and maybe named so for its connection to SpellBreaker. So what does everyone think? Was Shalidor a rival clan of dwemer or a clan of chimer? It could be a Chimer clan because of the hatred of the Rourken clan for the Chimer or it could be a Dwemer clan interested in solidarity.

He was an Archmage.

http://www.imperial-library.info/places/

scroll down to Labyrinthian.

I'm not sure exactly what went on during this battle between him and the dwarves, but I bet that since he was an Archmage, the spellbreaker came in real handy for the tribe of Rourken. LOL. (btw...something I always thought was cool about those particular dwemer... Rourken is Lorkhan in Engrish. Nobody knows if that was deliberate, though.)

Thanks for the info. Must have been quite the battle. An entire clan versus one archmage. LOL!

He probably summoned an army of daedra or somesuch.

Perhaps, but due to instrumental role of SpellBreaker which is indicated in the lore, I have a tendency to think Shalidor lost.

Given that the 'provinces' were not so cosmopolitan before the Septim Empire was formed, and that Labrynthian was located in central Skyrim (which is right in the path of an exodus from Vvardenfell to Volenfell) I had always assumed that Shalidor was a Nord, or at least human of some description. Knowing Shalidor to be an 'Archmagus' and that knowing the Dwemer as a whole to be expert enchanters, in addition to the anti-caster roles of both the Spell Breaker and Shalidor's Mirror (which while not directly tied in to this event, seems somehow relevant to me) indicated that the battle was not one of rank-an-file troops and bloody fights, but rather of conflicting sorceries.

On the point of who would have won or lost, I'm inclined to believe neither. Clan Rourken was going to re-settle, not to war. I doubt they came provisioned for an extended conflict that an outright victory would require. It's more likely that the Battle of Rourken-Shalidor was an isolated conflict or as series of running battles caused by Rourken's close proximity to Shalidor's holdings. Once they'd managed to pass there would be no reason to continue fighting.

Sounds very likely.